This invention relates to a soil excavator, and in particular to a machine for the continuous excavation of soil.
In this case, the term "soil" should be given a broad interpretation, and is intended to include, inter alia, tar sands.
In general, the excavation of large quantities of soil in mining or large construction jobs is performed using bulldozers, drag lines, bucket wheels, bucket loaders, scraper carriers, etc., alone or in combination. Such machines have various drawbacks, which result in high unit costs to excavate and transfer material. Many currently available machines are used in load, carry or lift, and unload and return cycles. Thus, much of the operating time of the machines involves returning from the unloading or delivery mode to the excavation mode. Many commonly used machines for big volume projects are large, complex and expensive. The machines may also be limited in terms of mobility and portability. Finally, some machines require considerable skill to operate. All of these factors contribute to high operating costs.